


Sometimes Frowns are Inevitable

by ForLove



Series: The Family We Choose [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Human, Daddy Dean, M/M, Miscarriage, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, papa cas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 03:18:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4690217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForLove/pseuds/ForLove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean gets the twins ready for their kindergarden school picture day and receives some heartbreaking news from Sam. (It's only sad in the middle, the end of this ficlet is happy.) </p><p>There's no need to read the first part of the series to understand this ficlet. They can be read together or stand alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sometimes Frowns are Inevitable

**Author's Note:**

> Just letting you know that in this they discuss Jess having a miscarriage. Why did I add that into this happy world? Apparently it's still something I'm coping with myself, having gone through one. I'm also hoping that instead of hiding those horrible things when they happen, people will talk. It took me a long time to talk about it and I feel so much better for doing so.

_Not that one. Please don’t pick that one._ Dean anxiously watches Emma look for a new shirt for school pictures. She see’s a Monster High one but passes it up to choose a shirt with a grinning fox on the front. Dean sighs in relief.

“Daddy can I get this one?” Claire brings Dean a Grumpy Cat t-shirt.

He smirks, “Of course.” That’s not surprise. Claire will pick anything with that foul feline on it. Though Dean is much more comfortable with the cranky cat than the unrealistic “beauty” of Monster High.

He takes the girl’s shirts and slings them over his shoulder. Holding out both his hands, the girls each take one. “Alright, lets get these so we can go see Papa.”

“Yay!!” The girls jump in delight.

Cas stayed home with the girls for the first four years. This last year he’s started to take on a little more at the coffee shop and until a few months ago, he was still working mostly from home. He handed over the majority of his duties to Ellen the first few years, but he was kept in the loop. Grateful that bookkeeping can be done anywhere, Cas has never been completely gone from his business. He started “Caffeinated” ten years ago with a college buddy, Balthazar. But Balthazar has gone on to start other businesses, enjoying the entrepreneurial start-up more than the day to day running of a small company.

The door chimes as Dean and the girls walk into the shop.

“Papa!” Claire and Emma tackle Cas in a hug.

Cas kneels down and hugs them back, smoothing their hair and kissing the tops of their heads. “How was school?”

“Great!” Emma chirps. “We went to the library!”

“Did you check out a book for us to read?” Cas looks up and smiles a greeting to Dean.

“Splat the Cat!” Claire declares. 

“Is the cat very flat?” Cas asks to giggles.

“No Papa. He’s very furry.” Emma explains.

“Of course. My mistake.” Cas pulls the girls in for another hug before standing. “Ready for a snack?”

“Yes please!” Emma and Claire chime.

“Okay go to your seats then.” Cas smiles as his girls scamper to an empty table with Dean following close behind.

“Hey Dean!” Ellen appears with a muffin cut up into pieces and two cups of milk. “How ya holdin’ up?”

“Fine. I should be asking you that.” Dean smirks. “What’s it like having Cas back all the time?”

Ellen looks over her shoulder, Cas is helping a person at the counter. “A relief, but don’t tell him I said that.”

“Secret’s safe with me.” Dean winks.

“Are you talking about me?” Cas joins Ellen and Dean, frowning in contemplation.

“When is this guy _not_ talking about you?” Ellen nudges Dean. “I mean it’s like he loves you or something.” She rolls her eyes good-naturedly. “I gotta get back to work. Need to make sure Cas remembers how this place works.” She smirks. “Nice to see you Dean. Bye girls!”

“Bye Auntie Ellen!” Emma calls.

“Byjhh,” Claire mouths over a big bite of honey cornbread muffin.

Dean turns to Cas and slides his hands around his back. The hold each other tightly as Cas whispers into Dean’s ear. “Shopping go okay?”

“Yeah,” Dean whispers back. “Thought she was gonna go for one of those awful monsters again. But she got a fox.”

“Good. See, just a phase.” Cas strokes the back of Dean’s head.

“Yeah but I don’t want her getting the idea that rail thin is a good thing.”

“Of course not.” Cas holds Dean tightly then releases him with a kiss on the cheek. Sill speaking low he continues, “You did good.”

Dean sighs, grateful his daughter picked the shirt that doesn’t require a conversation about body image.

“Ready to go home?” Dean asks the girls. He loves how his heart feels full each time he looks at them. Their big eyes and crumbly mouths turn up into smiles.

“Is Papa coming?” Claire asks as crumbs fall from her face to the napkin spread out on the table.

“I’ll be home in an hour.” Cas informs them, kissing the tops of their heads and giving each girl a hug before he goes. He takes the empty milk glasses with him and pauses to kiss Dean on his way back to the kitchen.

“We can have dinner ready when Papa gets home. What should we make?” Dean takes the messy napkins and throws them away in a nearby bin.

**

“Hey it’s Wednesday, should we make Uncle Sammy’s favorite?” Dean suggests as he places a large pot on the stove.

“With the bows?” Claire asks.

“I like the shells.” Emma says.

“Let’s ask Uncle Sammy and Auntie Jess what they’d like.”

Dean slides his phone out of his pocket and dials with one hand as he gets crayons and coloring books out for the girls. He smiles while watching them share as he waits for Sam to pick up.

“Dean? Jess and I aren’t going to make it this week.” Sam’s voice is raw sending a shock through Dean’s heart. Sam pauses and sounds like he leaves the room before continuing. “She’s having a miscarriage.”

Dean’s mouth goes dry. “Sammy, I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. She-” Sam pulls in a shaky breath, “She hasn’t stopped crying.”

“Whatever you need, let us know.” Dean feels his offer is extremely inadequate but still wants to give some sort of support.

“We will. Give the girls a hug for us.” Sam quietly says before hanging up.

Shaken, Dean turns to his girls and hugs them in their seats. He kisses their foreheads before starting dinner.

While he’s stirring the elbow pasta, Dean feels arms slide around his middle. He nuzzles back against Cas’s cheek with his own.

“Glad you’re home.” Dean’s voice cracks.

“Dean?” Cas turns him around so they’re nose to nose.

Dean closes his eyes and takes a breath, “Jess is having a miscarriage.” He feels hot tears well.

Cas pulls him in tightly and Dean buries his face in the crook of Cas’s neck.

Dean lifts his head and places their foreheads together. “Here I was annoyed that I have to redo the plans for the Polsen Research Facility,” Dean’s voice shakes, “and Sammy n’ Jess are dealin’ with that.” Dean feels guilty for thinking he had a bad day.

“Dean, you’re still allowed to have a bad day.” Cas kisses him lightly on the lips.

“Yeah, just-”

“You care about them. It’s normal for you to be upset, but it doesn’t negate your earlier feelings.” Cas seems to read Dean’s mind when he needs it the most.

Dean pulls in a quivering breath and holds onto Cas tightly.

Later that night after Dean puts the laundry in the dryer, he joins Cas in the girls’ room. They’re on the floor and Cas is reading about Splat the Cat’s first day of school. Dean’s heart squeezes in delight then is tempered with sadness for Sam and Jess.

After the story, Cas and Dean take turns kissing the girls goodnight then switch.

Claire grips her Grumpy Cat with a similar frown. “I hope Auntie Jess feels better soon.”

“It’ll take some time, but I’m sure she will Sweetheart.” Cas smoothes her hair before getting up and moving toward the door.

“Daddy?” Emma holds onto a stuffed fox only slightly looser than her sister’s grip.

“Yeah Baby?” Dean looks down at her worried face.

“Will we see Uncle Sam and Auntie Jess next week?”

“I don’t know Baby, we’ll have to see how they feel.”

“Okay.” Her disappointment is audible, but her sympathy makes Dean’s heart swell.

“Bedtime.” Cas softly reminds the room while standing near the light switch.

Dean kisses Emma’s forehead then joins Cas on the way out.

After getting themselves ready for bed, Dean and Cas read for a little while. Cas doesn’t read long before he rolls onto his side and places a hand on Dean’s bare stomach.

“The laundry is in the dryer and the girls are asleep.” Cas gently rubs below Dean’s belly button coming close to the top of his pajama pants.

“Baby you have the sweetest pillow talk.” Dean smirks, closes his book and tosses it aside. He slides down his pillow to meet Cas’s lips with his own. “God I missed you today.” Dean breathes between kisses.

“More than any other day?” Cas kisses Dean’s nose.

“No.” Dean chuckles then desperately connects their lips as he threads his fingers through Cas’s hair. Their breathing is heavy as Dean climbs into Cas’s lap.

“Pappaaaa!!” Claire’s voice seeps through the wall.

Dean smirks, “Your daughter calls.”

“Dadddyyyy!!” Claire continues.

“Your daughter as well.” Cas smiles and kisses Dean once more.

“Papa Daddy Papa Daddy!” Claire wails.

“On our way Sweetheart.” Dean calls while grinning at Cas.

**

About a month after picture day the girls bring home large envelopes. Dean grins as he takes them out of their backpacks. He’s grateful for the flexibility he has with his architectural firm. Two days a week he picks the girls up from school. (The other three Cas gets them.) But today, Dean gets to be the the first one to see their kindergarten school photos. The first envelope is Emma’s. She’s grinning like the fox on her t-shirt. It’s adorable. When Dean opens Claire’s he can’t suppress a giggle that bubbles up.

He turns to his daughter, “Baby why are you frowning like Mr. Cat?”

“Lady didn’t like my kitty.”

When the rumble of Dean’s classic Impala comes up the drive the girls rush to the door. Dean’s only slightly jealous that Cas got to drive the 67 Impala, but it’s a worthwhile trade- since Dean got to pick up the girls.

Dean shows Cas the class photos the moment he’s through the door.

“You gotta see these.” Dean beams.

“Oh Claire,” Cas looks at his daughter’s frown in the photo that matches her shirt.

“She says the lady wasn’t nice about her cat t-shirt.” Dean says in a low voice.

“Claire was also probably tired. She had a nightmare the night before.”

“Oh,” Dean’s eyes widen in memory. “ _Oh_.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on [tumblr](http://4lov3.tumblr.com/)


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